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Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 3-9

This is from the National Weather Service (NWS) in New Orleans/Baton Rouge out of Slidell, LA.  They do this each year to get all of you ready for our severe weather season this spring and our second season in the Late Fall.  Please read and check it out:
 






 

THE WEEK OF MARCH 3 THROUGH MARCH 9 HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS SEVERE   
WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN LOUISIANA.  LATE WINTER AND SPRING MONTHS   
TYPICALLY BRING THE HIGHEST FREQUENCY OF SEVERE WEATHER TO GULF   
COAST REGION. SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IS A GOOD TIME TO REVIEW   
SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY PLANS AND ENSURE YOU HAVE A MEANS TO RECEIVE   
TIMELY WARNINGS.  
  
LAST YEAR...A TOTAL OF 22 TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTHEAST   
LOUISIANA AND THE ADJACENT AREAS OF SOUTHWEST AND COASTAL   
MISSISSIPPI IN 2012.  OF THOSE 22 TORNADOES...THE 10 TORNADOES THAT   
OCCURRED IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA WERE ALL RATED AS WEAK...EITHER EF0   
OR EF1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE.  THE TORNADO THAT PRODUCED THE   
MOST PROPERTY DAMAGE IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA OCCURRED IN THE   
PRAIRIEVILLE AREA OF ASCENSION PARISH ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 21.     
THE TORNADO PRODUCED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO A NUMBER OF HOUSE ROOFS   
AS WELL AS DOWNING TREES AND POWER LINES ALONG ITS 4 MILE LONG PATH.   
  
TWO OF THE TORNADOES IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA LAST YEAR ORIGINALLY   
DEVELOPED AS WATERSPOUTS BEFORE MOVING ONSHORE AND CAUSING MINOR   
PROPERTY DAMAGE.  ON MAY 9...A WATERSPOUT MOVED FROM BARATARIA BAY   
SOUTHWARD ONTO GRAND ISLE DAMAGING SEVERAL HOUSES AND CAMPS.  ON   
JULY 13...A WATERSPOUT MOVED ONSHORE PORT FOURCHON CAUSING MINOR   
PROPERTY DAMAGE AND A MINOR INJURY.  
  
SIMILAR TO 2011...LIGHTNING PRODUCED THE ONLY DIRECT WEATHER RELATED   
SEVERE WEATHER FATALITIES IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA DURING 2012.  TWO   
FISHERMAN WERE FATALLY INJURED WHEN LIGHTNING STRUCK A TREE NEXT TO   
A SMALL STRUCTURE THEY HAD SOUGHT REFUGE DURING A THUNDERSTORM SOUTH   
OF PONCHATOULA.   
  
ON WEDNESDAY MORNING...MARCH 6...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INVITES  
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES...SCHOOLS AND OTHERS ORGANIZATIONS TO TEST   
THEIR SEVERE WEATHER PLANS BY PARTICIPATING IN A TORNADO TEST   
DRILL.  THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL ISSUE A TEST TORNADO   
WARNING ON NOAA WEATHER RADIO BETWEEN 9 AND 10 AM USING THE ROUTINE   
WEEKLY TEST MESSAGE.  THE TEST WARNING WILL PROVIDE INTERESTED   
GROUPS A WAY TO TEST THEIR SEVERE WEATHER PLANS.   
  
EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT LIVES CAN BE SAVED IF PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF  
THE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH TORNADOES AND SEVERE WEATHER...AND  
ARE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK STEPS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM  
NATURES MOST VIOLENT AND UNPREDICTABLE STORMS.  
  
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL BE ISSUING PUBLIC INFORMATION   
STATEMENTS ABOUT SEVERE WEATHER AND INFORMATION ON SEVERE WEATHER   
SAFETY ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE.  
  
MAR 4  MONDAY MORNING           SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK         
       MONDAY AFTERNOON         SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS  
  
MAR 5  TUESDAY MORNING          TORNADO SAFETY RULES  
       TUESDAY AFTERNOON        NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  
                                WATCH AND WARNING DEFINITIONS  
  
MAR 6  WEDNESDAY MORNING        TORNADO TEST DRILL  
  
MAR 7  THURSDAY MORNING        NOAA WEATHER RADIO  
       THURSDAY AFTERNOON      LIGHTNING SAFETY  
  
MAR 8  FRIDAY MORNING          FLASH FLOOD SAFETY  
   
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE NEW ORLEANS / BATON ROUGE AREA   
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE... 504 522 7330 OR    
985-649-0357 EXTENSION 4. 

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